The American Spectator

Reader Mail

p> A MILITARY PERSPECTIVE br> Re: Paul Beston's Villains and Valor : /p>

Right on, Mr. Beston, since retiring in '73 I've been billeted, more or less, among those "silly villains." And may the good G-d excuse me, there's no accounting for their tastes.

To me, our national elections, Iraq and Fallujah have been and are the news, but for the last several months, I, along with all other viewers and readers of TV and news publications, have been bombarded with an unending stream of "did or didn't Peterson do it," crappy comments by news readers, reporters and self or media termed "experts." And now that that trial is near an end, they are all set to give us another Californian circus with wha'cha'ma'call'it (the name is immaterial, but Black, I think it is) being accused of killing his wife two and a half years ago.

p>You are right, Sir, "silly villains" is far too kind. br> -- James O. Dirden br> CSM, U.S. Army /p>

I was so gratified to read the article by Paul Beston. He amplifies far here in rural East Texas. You see, my husband was one of those so vilified after his honorable service in Vietnam. He returned, after two tours, with a broken back, sustained in a helicopter crash, the first of its kind anyone survived from.

He returned, less than 52% of his flight class returned, as helicopter pilots suffered high attrition rates, to an America in which he was vilified. But he returned to continue service another 20 years, training a son that came afterwards that service to his country was honorable. This son went to the Air Force Academy, and married an Air Force Academy grad, so they both honorably serve.

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